1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a light fixture. In particular, the invention relates to a housing for a light fixture capable of retaining at least one light emitting diode (LED) therein for illuminating paintings or other surfaces.
2. Background of Related Art
Lights for illuminating pictures and the like are in widespread use and generally comprise one or more light bulbs received in an electrical socket mounted in an elongate shade or hood. Such lights are generally mounted by means of a tubular support arm, one end of which is attached to the shade by a swivel or pivot joint, whilst the opposite end of the arm has a fitting for mounting the light to a picture frame or on a wall. An electrical wire extends through the arm from a connector in the fitting to supply power to the light bulbs from a mains source or battery pack. The pivot or swivel joint allows the angle of the shade to be adjusted relative to the support arm to enable the direction of the beam of light to be controlled to, for example, illuminate a picture.
A problem with conventional lights for illuminating pictures and the like is their ability to supply uniform lighting across a required width or region, such as the whole of a picture being illuminated. Conventional lights usually have an elongate shade, which is much shorter than the width of the picture or area to be illuminated and so the intensity of the pool of light tends to weaken towards the edges of the picture. Although attempts have been made available which try to alleviate this problem by, for example, providing light deflectors or baffles mounted in the shade to re-direct the light, the design of such conventional lights is complicated and the light is still not of sufficiently uniform intensity across the whole width of the picture. Although larger shades may house multiple light bulbs in respective sockets, the sockets themselves are in fixed positions and do not enable precise adjustment of the light being generated.
A further disadvantage with conventional bulbs is that they produce a large amount of heat that could potentially damage an illuminated painting.
In several applications, light emitting diodes (LEDs) are replacing conventional light bulbs. They are particularly suitable for use in lighting a picture or the like as they consume less power and produce a limited amount of heat.
The present invention seeks to provide a light or light fixture, and a housing for a light or light fixture, that overcomes or substantially alleviates the problems of those discussed above and, in particular, to provide a more versatile light that can be adjusted to provide more uniform illumination over a given area.